Conservatives have spent generations accusing liberals of moral relativism and "anything goes" indulgence in their feelings or whims. But is a belief any less arbitrary of a foundation for the giving or taking away of people's rights?

Santorum and Dolan are at least right on one point. No one should be saying that religious people can't participate in the public square. The reality is, however, the public square has a cacophony of voices.

Last week we lost two great visionary leaders whose impact on the world has forever changed our lives. Yet, sadly, I think we missed the opportunity to make their contributions to society a real teachable moment for our children.

Because people hold sacred values to be absolute and inviolable, any symbolic "concession" must not appear to violate or weaken one's own sacred values. Doing so would likely be seen as forsaking core personal and social identity.

It's amazing, the absurdity some in Israel will reduce themselves to in order to defend the rape conviction of an Arab man in Jerusalem who allegedly pretended to be Jewish in order to have consensual sex with a Jewish woman.

There is a secret in the air, one of those secrets that most people ignore but still feel: Each and every one of us is vulnerable, scared, and even more so when that part of our inner being goes denied.

From the latest news, you'd think America has turned the corner and is on the road to recovery. Far from it. There are major, structural deficiencies in our system that point in very negative directions.